Like # 4, this is also work that was recorded in the Mitsuyama Oshigata.
Sugata: Hira-zukuri shape with a mitsu-mune. The fukura is flat and the blade exhibits a takenoko sugata.
Kitae: Similar to #6.
Hamon: Similar to #6. The ji-ha is made regularly.
Boshi: Similar to #6.
Horimono: Suken on the omote and a gomabashi on the ura.
Nakago: The kanji are small.
Norishige and Go Yoshihiro were both famous natives of Etchu. There are no signed works in existence by Go Yoshihiro. However there are more than one dozen o-suriage Meibutsu by Yoshihiro. These are all zogan-mei (gold inlaid) or shu-mei (red lacquer). The style of Go is well-forged itame with thick ji-nie. The hamon is o-notare with choji mixed in. There are ashi and deep nioi with thick nie. The boshi have a hakikake tip and are ichimai. These are the common features of the Meibutsu Go. Obviously, this is a very different style than the works of Dewa and Echigo of Ura Nihon.
Unlike Go, there are zaimei works that survive by Norishige. Most of these are tanto, tachi are few in number.
Norishige is famous for his matsukawa, or "pine tree bark" hada. The matsukawa hada was a direct result of Norishige's forging methods. In comparison to the Ayasugi-hada of the Gassan School, the forging pattern of Norishige's matsukawa hada is tighter and there is a great deal of chikei showing the strenghth of the jigane. This type of chikei rich jigane is very tough and flexible. Norishige's method of mixing hard and soft metals together results in this kitae style. His hamon are mostly notare that are packed with nie. The strong and active nie in the hamon creates the felling that the yaki-ba stands up. There is powerful sunagashi that follows the wild organic outlines of the Matsukawa-hada.
The first of these Norishige has a furisode-gata nakago. This is a reflection of the trend in sword koshaire at that time. A curvature in the middle of the tsuka was thought to be ideal, hence the nakago shape. This is similar in style to the Nara period tosu knife collection preserved at the Shoso-in.
Like Go Yoshihiro, Norishige was believed to be one of the ten students of Masamune. He was originally a pupil of Soshu Yukimitsu and later studied under Masamune. Norishige's general characteristics are quality nie with a strong Yamato influence.
8) Tanto, mei "Uda Kunimitsu"
Nagasa: 27.88 cm
Sori: 0.61cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri with a mitsu mune. It has a wide mihaba and the fukura is flat. There is saki-zori with a touch of koshi-zori.
Kitae: Running whirlpool hada with quality ji-nie. There is masame near the mune.
Hamon: Nie-deki notare mixed with gunome. The nioi-guchi is thick and there is sunagashi and hakikake mixed in.
Boshi: Shallow hakikake midare komi ending in togari with a kaeri.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime. The signature is in the center of the omote.
Ko Nyudo Kunimitsu was from Yamato. In the late Kamakura period, he moved to Etchu and became the founder of the Uda School. Uda blades made before Oei (1394-1428) are considered "Ko- Uda". This Kunimitsu was made prior to Oei and is representative of Ko-Uda. The shape differs from that of Norishige but the ji-ha of this blade is comparable to good Soshu den and reminds us of Norishige.
9) Tanto, mei "Uda Kunihisa"
Nagasa: 29.99 cm
Sori: 0.30 cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri, iori mune with a wide mihaba and saki-zori.
Kitae: Ko-itame mixed with nagare masame. There is well-forged ji-nie and a felling of shirake.
Hamon: Ko-gonome with midare that becomes o-deki in the fukura. There is ko-nie in the habuchi and the nioi-guchi is tight.
Boshi: Notare-komi with a long kaeri.
Horimono: Suken on the omote and a gomabashi on the ura.
Nakago: Ubu with kiri yasurime. The signature is cut with large kanji on the center of the omote.
The Uda Kunihisa group began around Oei (1394-1428) and continued for several generations. These smiths were considered the best of the Uda School. This example dates to the Bunmei (1469-1487) period. The main kantei point of blades from the Hokurikudo area, also called "Hoku-mono", is the presence of rough hada-mono style jigane. This characteristic is often seen in Uda work. In addition to the kitae, it is important to note that the kuri-jiri nakago of Uda bears a resemblance to the Sue-Bizen school. The Uda smiths were especially prosperous in Muromachi times and they often used the kanji of "Kuni" in their signatures.
10) Tanto, mei "Kashu ju Sanekage"
Dated: 1367
Nagasa: 28.48cm
Sugata: Hirazukuri with a mitsu mune. The blade is heavy. It has a wide mihaba but the kasane is thin. It is mu-sori but there is a slight felling of saki-zori.
Kitae: Itame with running whirlpool hada. The blade has profuse ji nie that is comprised of ko-nie. There is also chikei and jifu. It is a beautifully clear jigane.
Hamon: Notare mixed with shallow valley gonome. Hataraki such as sunagashi and kinsugi are present.
Boshi: Midare komi with hakikake at the tip and there is a deep kaeri.
Nakago: Ubu with sugikai yasurime. The signature is on the omote and the date is on the Ura.
Although Sanekage was a pupil of Etchu Norishige, his works shows a difference from that of Norishige.
Sanekage was influenced strongly by the Kaga School. The "stable" ji-ha of this work is illustrative of Sanekage and quite a contrast to his teacher?s powerful and extreme approach.
The Fujishima group of Kaga was the most productive school of Ura Japan. The Tomoshige branch of this group can be traced to the Rai tradition. The origin of the Iyetsugu branch begins with Sanekage and the Nobunaga group originated from the Yamato Taima School. Together, they comprised a mighty and fruitful sword-producing realm. The Shoguns of the Hokurikudo area were entangled in ferocious warfare that set the stage for the Sengoku jidai in the Muromachi period. The Kaga Fujishima School was the main weapon armamentarium for these troops. Many Sue-koto blades that exist today are of the ?kazu uchi mono? variety. Bizen, Mino and Hoku-mono produced the majority of these.
11) Tachi, mei "Fujishima"
(Juyo Bijutsuin, Important Art Object)
Nagasa: 66.5 cm
Sori: 1.9 cm
Sugata: Shinoji-zukuri with an iori-mune and a ko-kissaki. Pronounced fumbari can be seen in the habaki moto. Both koshi-zori and saki-zori are present.
Kitae: Mokume entwined with running masame. There is well-formed ji-nie and midare-utsuri that has a shirake appearance.
Hamon: Ko-nie deki ko-notare mixed with gonome midare. The gunome are executed in a pointed or "togari" manner.
Boshi: Deeply tempered in the ichimai style and has strong hakikake.
Horimono: Bo hi on both sides of the blade that taper to an ending point halfway down the nakago.
Nakago: Ubu with kiri yasurime. The signature is on the omote.
Tomoshige was the founding father of the Kaga Fujishima School. He was a pupil of Rai Kunitoshi. His relationship with Kunitoshi has been validated. Tomoshige was from Echizen Fujishima and his work dates to around the Kenmu period (1334-1338). The majority of Tomoshige works that exist date from Oei or later. His lineage and influence extends through the Shinto period. There have been a large number of smiths that used the mei of Tomoshige.
The sugata of this tachi is elegant and this combined with the utsuri makes it appear similar to Bizen den.
It bears a strong resemblance to the work of Hidemitsu of the Bizen Ko-zori tradition. However, the togari gunome is a mannerism of Kaga Fujishima. This blade?s overall feeling of antiquity makes it an excellent representative work of Ko-Tomoshige of the late Nanbokucho period.
12) Tanto, signed "Nobunaga"
Nagasa: 26.66 cm
Sugata: Kanmuri-otshi-zukuri. It has a thick kasane with an iori mune. The blade is heavy and there is a hint of uchi-zori.
Kitae: Well-forged soft ko-itame mixed with masame. Shirake can be seen in the ji and the shinogi-ji contains clear masame.
Hamon: Ko-nie deki hoso suguha with a tight nioi-guchi. Hotsure can be seen in the habuchi as well as the presence of nie-kuzure in the deeply tempered fukura.
Boshi: Hakikake and is yakitsume in style.
Nakago: Ubu with kiri yasurime. The signature consists of large kanji and is on the omote.
Nobunaga came from the Taima branch of the Yamato School. He moved to Kaga around Oei. Therefore, his style also called "Sako Taima" or "Kaga Taima". This particular Nobunaga appears to have been made about Eisho (1504-1521). This is a good quality work that shows a strong Yamato influence and displays an overall feeling of antiquity.
13) Katana, mei "Yukimitsu"
Dated: February 9th, 1470
Nagasa: 65.15 cm
Sori: 2.12 cm
Sugata: Shinoji-zukuri with an iori mune. The work exhibits strong tori-zori and conspicuous saki-zori.
Kitae: Well forged coarse hada. Ko-itame mixed with masame.
Hamon: Notare and ko-gonome that becomes hitatsura at the middle of the blade and continues upward. There is nie in the habuchi and it contains sunagashi and powerful hakikake.
Boshi: Jizu-ba with hakikake at the tip and there is strong muneyaki.
Horimono: Kaku-dome bo-hi on both the omote and the ura.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime. The signature is on the omote and the date is on the Ura.
There were several generations of smiths that used the same mei as Kashu {Kaga} Yukimitsu. The first Yukimitsu was said to have been the son of Tomoshige and a pupil of Sanekage. All of the Yukimitsu smiths exhibit strong Soshu characteristics in their work. The original Hoku?mono smiths were influenced by Yamato-den. However, after Norishige, Go and Kanro Toshinaga studied under the famous Soshu masters, the Soshu style spread into the Hoku-mono. Therefore, their work has both Yamato and Soshu traits. The Yukimitsu smiths from the Bunmei (1469-1487) period also made older style tanto. They exhibit a well-forged ji-ha and nioi deki suguba in the fukura that looks much like the Rai School.
This Kashu katana and the Tomoshige tachi both have an iriyama-gata nakago jiri. The Fujishima smiths were found of this style of nakagojiri and used it often. Therefore, it is also called "Kashu nakago". Of all the Kaga smiths, the Yukimitsu and Kiyomitsu groups used it the most. Their tradition continued into the Shinto period in which blades with masame tatsu and excellent hoso-suguha were made.
Unintentionally, the preceding 12 swords were mostly tanto. Therefore, the explanation of katana is insufficient and will be expanded upon here. The daito sugata of Ura Japan was different in comparison to other schools. They did not make many excessively long blades. Most swords were made with regular nagasa and sugata. Upon visual inspection, Ura Japan swords give the impression of strong sori. This is not the result of a measurable excessive curvature. Instead, this feeling is created by the ratio of sori vs nagasa. For example, the Yukimitsu from above is rather short with a nagasa of 65.13 cm. Although the sori measurement is typical for the period at 2.12 cm, to the naked eye it appears to approach 3cm. This is the unique characteristic of swords from Ura Japan
Echizen no Kuni
The Fujishima School and the Echizen Rai School later called Chiyozuru, were dominant groups in Echizen. The Fujishima smiths came from Echizen Fujishima and therefore this geographic location became the name for the group. They were prosperous in both Echizen and Kaga. Most of the Fujishima smiths moved to Kaga in the Muromachi period. The majority of swords that remain today were made in that aggressive time.
The Origin of the Chiyozuru School began with Kuniyasu. He learned under the guidance of Rai Kuniyasu. Chiyozuru was actually Kuniyasu's nickname. Therefore this group came to be known as Chiyozuru. The most renowned smiths of the Chiyozuru School were the two generations of Kuniyasu, Morihiro, Morishige, Ieyasu, Iemasa and Ieyoshi. The number of works this group left behind is small. This is especially true in comparison to Fujishima. Their work style was akin to Fujishima without substantial Yamashiro influence. Their traits are Hoku-mono jigane and midare hamon with togari that appear much like Mino. Only in their suguha can one see a Yamashiro influence.
This group signed their work with individual names or just the three kanji mei of Chiyozuru. The bulk of works bearing both an individual name and the inscription of Chiyozuru are known to be forgeries that were made years later.
1) Wakizashi, mei "Ieyoshi Saku"
Nagasa: 35.41 cm
Sori: 0.4cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri that exhibits both koshi-zori and saki-zori with an iori-mune.
Kitae: Running itame and masame combined. It is a coarse forging style that has a shirake appearance.
Hamon: Nioi-deki hoso suguha with ko-nie and the nioi-guchi is tight.
Boshi: Kaen in style with a long kaeri.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime. The signature is on the omote as noted above.
Ieyoshi learned sword making from Ieyasu. Ieyasu was the son Kuniyasu, the founder of the group. There were three generations of Iyeyasu and they all used the same signature. The example at hand dates to the Tenbun (1532-1555) period. Blades by Ieyoshi exist in larger numbers compared to the other Chiyozuru smiths. This wakazashi's hamon exhibits some Yamashiro influence. However, the overall impression is that of Yamato den. It is a typical work of the Hokurikudo area.
Kuniyuki was also a Chiyozuru smith and he was contemporary to founder Kuniyasu. Kuniyuki moved to Akasaka of Mino near the end of the Oan (1368?1375) period. The blades he produced in Echizen have a powerful Soshu Norishige style. The following is an example of his. It?s similar to the preceding one. However, the sugata is different than typical Nanbokucho work and the ji-ha is reminiscent of Norishige.
2) Wakizashi, mei "Etchu ju Kuniyuki"
Dated: October of 1365
This work was recorded in the Mitsuyama Oshigata.
Nagasa: 33.02 cm
Sori: 0.4cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri with a mitsu mune. The blade is heavy but the mihaba is thin. The sugata exhibits saki sori with a flat fukura that is similar to a sunobi tanto sugata.
Kitae: O-mokume mixed with running masame and ayasugi. There is ji-nie and the hada is clear.
Hamon: Nie-deki notare entwined with gunome. It is brushed with hotsure and strong streaks of sunagashi.
Boshi: Midare komi ending in hakikake with a shallow kaeri.
Horimono: Sankozuka ken and a bonji are engraved on the omote and an additional bonji appears on the ura.
Nakago: Kattesagari yasurime and is slightly machi-okuri. The signature is on the omote and the date is in the ura.
The Nanbokucho eras of Enbun (1356-1361) through Joji (1362-1368) were when the long nagasa o-tachi was in vogue. This blade is heavy. It has wide mihaba but a thin kasane. This style of sunobi tanto was fashion at that time. It expresses fully the main features of Soshu den at its peak and is an outstanding representative piece by Kuniyuki.
Kinju, a monk at the Seisen-ji in Tsuruga, was also a forefather of Echizen sword making like Kuniyuki. He is a famous smith and was one of Masamune's ten students. He moved to Mino around Ryakuo (1338-1342) and began the Seki tradition.
{Kinju is considered a Mino smith. Therefore, he is only mentioned briefly here.}
Wakasa no Kuni
Fuyuhiro was the son of Soshu Hirotsugu. He moved to Kohama during Kansho (1460-1466) and became the founder of the Wakasa Fuyuhiro School. Later generations from this line moved to Izumo and Aki in Shinto times and continued to prosper up until the Bakumatsu period. In the Oei era (1394-1428), Munenaga came to Wakasa. He was contemporary to Fuyuhiro but he learned sword making form the Nakajima Rai School. The line of smiths that followed Munenaga used the kanji ?Mune? in most of their names. Unlike the Soshu influenced Fuyuhiro, the Munenaga group had strong Yamashiro characteristics in their work. The products they produced were considered top quality of Hoku-mono. The Muneshige below is an example from the Munenaga line. Although it is a representational example, it differs from the expected Yamashiro influence.
3) Katana, mei "Wakashu ju Muneshige"
Dated: August, 1564
Nagasa: 67.57 cm
Sori: 2.3 cm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune. It has a wide mihaba and a thick kasane. The sturdy sugata exhibits strong koshi sori.
Kitae: Coarse hadatatsu mokume with tight running masame.
Hamon: Togariba mixed with gonome choji-midare. There is an abundance of nie in the habuchi and the nioi-guchi is tight. Ko-ashi and yo are plentiful.
Boshi: Long, shallow midare komi. The tip is hakikake and there is a kaeri.
Horimono: Bo-hi with a soe-hi is on both sides. The nakago is ubu with kiri yasurime.
Nakago: Ubu with kiri yasurime. The signature is on the omote and the year is on the ura.
Muneshige made this sword in Harishu. The first impression of this work was that it looked like a Sue Bizen with strong saki-zori. However, the sugata characteristic of strong sori in comparison to the nagasa is absolutely Hoku-mono.
Muneshiges's contemporary, Fuyuhiro, made a midare hamon that was similar to Bizen. He also worked in Bizen, Bitchu and Izumo. Practical Hoku-mono works were widely used at the close of the Sengoku period. They were highly regarded for their excellent performance on the battlefield.
4) Katana, mei "Bizen Fuyuhiro Saku"
(Yushu Saku)
{This blade is dated but the nengo is not clear enough to read.}
Nagasa: 70.90 cm
Sori: 1.6 cm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune. The mihaba is wide and the kasane is thick. There is sori at the koshi but the overall impression is saki-zori.
Kitae: Clear hadatachi mokume mixed with running itame. The ji-nie is refined and the jigane is clear.
Hamon: Gonome midare. The habuchi is full of ko-nie and there is also ara-nie.
Boshi: Suguha with nijuba and hakikake.
Horimono: Bo-hi with soe hi on both sides that extend through the nakago. It is slightly machi-okuri and the yasuri are kattesagari.
Nakago: Slightly machi-okuri with kattesagari yasurime. The signature is on the omote and the year is on the ura.
This katana was made by the second generation Fuyuhiro around the Tenbun period (1532-1555). In Comparison to the midare hamon of the previous Muneshige, this one has clearer nie in the habuchi. Another noteworthy difference is that Muneshige liked to make the Bizen shape nakago and Fuyuhiro preferred the Soshu style tanagobara.
5) Katana, mei "Wakashu ju Fuyuhiro saku Hachiman Dai Bosatsu"
Dated: February,1580
(Sai Yushu Saku)
Nagasa: 80cm
Sori: 2.4cm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune. The mihaba is wide and the kasane is thick. There is little taper in its length. The blade is wide in the monouchi. The magnificent sugata exhibits strong saki-zori and the kissaki is elongated.
Kitae: Mokume with running itame. The ji-hada is clear and the ji-nie is refined.
Hamon: Notare with large pattern gonome. The nioi deki habuchi is tight and there is ko-nie mixed in. Active ko-ashi and yo are present.
Boshi: Deeply tempered midare ending in brushed kaen
Horimono: Maru-dome bo-hi with soe-hi on both sides.
Nakago: Ubu with sujikai yasurime. The signature is on the omote.
This katana was made by the third generation Fuyuhiro. It is an outstanding piece that is full of the spirit of Nanbokucho Soden Bizen. Extant works by the first generation are scarce. The majority of the Fuyuhiro that are seen today are by the third generation. The Fuyuhiro work style incorporates Soshu traits with Hoku-mono ji-gane. An additional identifying characteristic of their workmanship is the unique o-notare hamon. There was also a good smith named Tsuguhiro. He was a student of the first Fuyuhiro and made good blades with tight suguha that look like Aoe school work.
Tanba no Kuni
The Kunisada group and the Yukitsugu group were the two primary schools in Tanba. Kunisada was a student of Awataguchi Kuninobu. Yukitsugu also had Yamashiro roots. He was from the Masamitsu group in Awataguchi. There are few works by Kunisada still extant today. Two of his tachi are Juyo Bijutsuin. It?s said that Kunisada was the son of Awataguchi Kuniyoshi and lived in Ayabe of Tanba. He was active around Bunei to Koan (1264-1288). Unfortunately, swords by other smiths from this group are not known to exist.
6) Tachi, mei "Kunisada"
Nagasa: 76.92 cm
Sori: 2.8 cm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri with a mitsu-mune. The kasane is thick, the mihaba is wide and it has full hira-niku. The respectful and fearsome tachi sugata features high sori and an ikubi kissaki.
Kitae: Nashiji with clear and bright utsuri.
Hamon: Choji-midare with ko-nie in the bright and clear habuchi. The hataraki includes plentiful nioi ko- ashi and yo.
Boshi: Shallow midare-komi boshi ending in yakizume.
Horimono: Bo-hi with soe hi on both sides.
Nakago: Suriage with sujikai yasurime. The signature is positioned in the center of the omote.
This work is very healthy and has abundant hataraki in the bright ji-ha. It reminds us of the flamboyant hamon of Ayanokoji Sadatoshi of the Awataguchi group. This is an outstanding work among the few existing pieces by Kunisada.
Tango no Kuni
A student of Yamashiro Rai Kunitoshi?s moved to Hatake and used the mei of ?Rai Kunitoshi?. His works were also known as Tanba Rai but no swords by him exist today. There were not many smiths in this area until much later. At the end of the Muromachi period, around Tensho (1573-1592), Hosokawa built his castle at Tanabe and the Mino Daido smiths worked there.
7) Katana, mei "Tanshu Tanabe ju Daido Saku"
Dated: October 1585
Nagasa: 62.72 cm
Sori: 1.2cm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri with a high, wide shinoji and an iori-mune. The mihaba is wide in the monouchi and it exhibits saki-zori.
Kitae: Ko-itame mixed with running masame. The hada contains ji-nie and is clear and coarse.
Hamon: Shallow notare with togari-gonome. The habuchi is covered in nie and brushed with sunagashi. Overall, is has a soft nioi-guchi and exhibits ni-ju ba.
Boshi: Sugu-based shallow midare with a nie brushed tip.
Nakago: Ubu with takanoha yasurime. The signature is on the omote and the year is on the ura as noted above.
Daido Naofusa made this blade. He was employed by the Hosokawa family. This work is atypical compared to conventional Mino workmanship from this period. The ji-gane of this blade is the hada-kitae of cold weather areas. The blade has weak a yakiba. This was intentionally done to enhance its performance as a weapon. It is the representative work of Daido Naofusa and its antique style reminds us of Shizu.
Tajima no Kuni
Kunimitsu was a Tajima smith. He was also one of Soshu Sadamune's three pupils. The only renowned smiths in this area were the first two generations of Kunimitsu. These two were also known as the Hojoji School. There are only a few Kunimitsu blades in existence today and very few of those are signed. The shodai was known for making nagamaki. Katana with the nagamaki-naoshi sugata attributed to "den Hojoji" are about the closest one can get to the work of shodai Hojoji Kunimitsu. Two common features of his existing nagamaki-naoshi are especially important to note. The first point is that they don?t have many Soshu characteristics. The second is that their flamboyant choji hamon is close to Bizen den. However, the kitae of these "den Hojoji" is a different story. Their ji-gane is o-itame with clear hada tachi that is comparably different than Bizen ji-gane. The bo-utsuri and strong nagare masame in the shinogi-ji are also different than Bizen's choji hamon. The shape of "den Hojoji" hamon is like a tea flower. Therefore, it is called "Sa no Hana Midare".
There are zaimei works by the second generation Kunimitsu in existence. The majority of these are tanto and ko-wakazashi. The deki is Yamashiro in style with clear suguha and ko-midare hamons. This smith was also skilled at making different shapes of blades. For example, He made kanmuri-otoshi and shobu-zukuri that were similar to Kyoto Nobukuni from the same period. (Oei 1394-1428)
8) Nagamaki-naoshi o-suriage mumei den Hojoji
(Juyo Bijutsuin)
Nagasa: 66.36 cm
Sori: 2.12 cm
Sugata: Nagamaki-naoshi.
Kitae: Clear o-itame with refined tight ji-nie. The ji bears bo-utsuri and there is strong masame in shinogi-ji.
Hamon: Ko-choji midare hamon with abundant ko-nie in the habuchi. Hataraki such as ko-ashi and kinsuji can be seen.
Boshi: Midare-komi, brushed with a yakizume tip.
Nakago: Suriage mumei with o-sujikai yasurime.
This is an outstanding work among the den Hojoji pieces. There is profuse hataraki in the peaks of the choji hamon accompanied by ko-ashi. This is the tea flower shaped choji that is known as "Hojoji no Sa no Hana Midare" as mentioned before.
Inaba no kuni
The Kagenaga group was an offshoot of the Yamashiro Awataguchi School. This group was also known as the Inaba Ko-kaji. Later, in the Muromachi period, the Kanesaki branch of Seki smiths also moved to Inaba and continued into the Shinshinto period.
The founder of the Kagenaga group was a student of Awataguchi Yoshimasa. It is said that he moved to Inaba around the end of Kamakura and changed his name to Kagenaga. There are few blades left behind by him. The existing Kanenaga works are from the later Nanbokucho through the early Muromachi period. The situation with this group is similar to the Kunimitsu School described above. There are not many examples left and most of them are tanto and ko-wakizashi with obvious characteristics of Rai Kunitoshi tanto.
9) Tanto, mei "Inashu ju Kagenaga"
Nagasa: 26.15 cm
Sugata: Excellent uchi-zori hira-zukuri sugata with an iori-mune.
Kitae: Ko-itame mixed with running masame that has a faint whiteness.
Hamon: Nioi based hoso-suguha with abundant ko-nie in the habuchi. There is not much hataraki in the hamon but hotsure and ni-ju ba can be seen here and there
Boshi: Suguha, ko-maru ending with a brushed tip and kaeri.
Nakago: Ubu but slightly machi-okuri with kattesagari yasurime. The mei is inscribed in a unique style on the omote.
The first impression of this tanto was that of a top quality Rai Kunitoshi style work. However, the ji-ha is weaker than Rai and has less hataraki. This is a work from the late Nanbokucho period. The later Oei era products of this school share the same ji characteristics as this blade.
Hoki no kuni
It was during the Muromachi period that the name Tenkagoken "Five Swords Under Heaven" was used to describe the five most famous swords in the history of Japan. Yasutsuna made the Dojigiri, one of the Tenkagoken. He was the forefather of the Ohara smiths. They were prosperous in the Heian era. This was the first period of Nihonto history.
According to old sword books, Yasutsuna was an early smith from the Daido era (806-810 AD). Daido was part of the early Heian period. This was the time that straight bladed swords were being used in Japan. The more commonly accepted theory believes that Yasutsuna was a smith about two hundred years after Daido working in the mid to late Heian. Zaimei works by Yasutsuna are still in existence.
Hoki was a place in which good quality sand iron was readily available. The area has long been known as a center of advanced iron-manufacturing techniques. This helped the Ko-Hoki Kaji to be prosperous. However, existing zaimei Hoki works are few in numbers. Those that remain extant today are Yasutsuna, Sanemori, Yasuie and Aritsuna.
10) Tachi, mei "Yasutsuna"
Nagasa: 69.08 cm
Sori: 2.12 cm
Sugata: Suriage shinoji-zukuri with an iori-mune and a ko-kissaki. The shinogi is high and the mihaba is normal. Overall, the tachi sugata has a feeling of antiquity.
Kitae: Itame with running hada in places. There is tight, thick ji-nie and abundant chikei.
Hamon: Shallow notare ko-midare hamon with profuse nie. Hataraki such as sunagashi and kinsugi are visible in the hamon.
Boshi: Nie kuzure boshi ending with a brushed tip.
Nakago: Suriage with kiri yasurime. The signature is an elegantly executed ni-ji me situated on the omote near the end of the nakago.
This work fully expresses the characteristics of the Ko-Hoki-mono. In comparison to the very healthy Juyo Bungasai Yasutsuna tachi, this blade has been polished more. However, the antiquity of its style is clear.
Smiths from the Ohara Kaji moved to Bizen and other places in the Kamakura period. Therefore, the sword production in this area declined. This situation changed during the Sengoku jidai. The two families of the Hiroyoshi group became active. These were the Sainoo and Keda groups. They remained prosperous up until Shinshinto times.
11) Tanto, mei "Hoki no Kuni ju Hakushu Hiroyoshi Saku"
Dated: February 1509
Nagasa: 28.18 cm
Sori: 0.45cm
Sugata: Kanmuri-otoshi-zukuri with an iori-mune. The heavy blade is thick at the habbaki moto. Koshi-zori is combined with clear saki-zori.
Kitae: Tight ko-itame mixed with masame. There is masame in shinogi-ji.
Hamon: Suguha that becomes a deep and wide gonome at the mid-blade and continues upward in gunome. It is a tight nioi deki hamon with ko-nie in the habuchi.
Boshi: Deep tobiyaki style with a long kaeri.
Horimono: There is a naginata hi and parallel small hi with suken in between on both sides.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime. The long signature is on the omote and year is on the ura.
Sainoo Hiroyoshi established this branch around Bunmei (1469-1487). This work was made by the second generation. Hiroyoshi works bear a strong Soshu influence. The presence of the signature and the date make this work a valuable piece of empirical data.
12) Tanto, mei "Hoki no Kuni Tsuhara Junin Keda Gorosaemon Hiroyoshi"
Dated: January 1533
Nagasa: 27.88cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri with strong uchi-zori. The blade has a very thick kasane and is noticeably heavy.
Kitae: Ko-itame mixed with running masame. There is exemplary ji-nie on the clear beautiful ji-hada.
Hamon: Suguha and ko-notare with kuichigai-ba mixed in. The nioi-guchi is tight and bright. Ko-nie is plentiful in the habuchi.
Boshi: Suguha with a ko-maru tip and a long kaeri with slight mune yaki.
Horimono: Koshi-hi on the omote and a gomabashi on the ura.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime. The long signature is on omote and the year is on the ura. Hiroyoshi recorded his age on the nakago mune. He made this blade when he was 61 years old.
This work is by the second generation Hiroyoshi of the Keda family. He was a student of Soshu Tsunahiro and a representative smith of the Hiroyoshi group. There are quite a few works by this group in existence today. They all show a strong Soshu influence.
This tanto has a stable and steady suguha hamon. In comparison to this group?s normal trait of running and coarse ji-gane, the hada of this tanto is refined and beautiful. The heavy and thick sugata is also atypical. This sugata is more what one would expect from Bizen Katsumitsu from around the Taiei (1521-1528) and Tenbun (1532-1555) periods. In the same manner as the previous example, the presence of the signature and the date with the additional precious record of Hiroyoshi?s age, make this work a valuable piece of empirical data.
Izumo no kuni
The Yoshii branch of the Bizen School moved to Izumo in the early part of the Muromachi period and started the Tadasada group. The ko-gonome hamon of the Tadasada works are similar to that of the Yoshii Bizen. However, the ji-gane is rougher than Yoshii and more typical of Ura Japan workmanship.
13) Tanto, mei "Tadasada"
Nagasa: 21.65 cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri, uchi-zori with a flat fukura exhibiting an antique felling.
Kitae: Clear mokume with shiraki utsuri.
Hamon: Ko-gonome midare hamon is nioi deki and tight.
Boshi: Jizo with a long kaeri.
Nakago: Ubu with sujikai yasurime. The signature is on the omote.
There were several generations of the Tadasada line. Their works date from Oei through the late Muromachi period. Their forte was the Sue Bizen gonome choji style of hamon. The ko-gonome hamon of this tanto differs somewhat because of there is also ko-nie in the habuchi. In addition to the sugata, the well-formed hamon also contributes to the antique feeling.
Iwami no kuni
The distinguished smith is the area was Naotsuna. He is known as one of Masamune?s ten students. There are a few blades by Naotsuna that confirm the direct relationship to Masamune. However, oshigata of Naotsuna's work exhibits scant Soshu characteristics.
There are not many blades by the Naotsuna in existence today. The majority of that are extant now are works of the second and third generation Naotsuna. Some of these later smiths used the four kanji mei of "Izuha Naotsuna". They lived in Izuha and this is also where their iron was extracted.
In addition to the Naotsuna line, there were others from this group. They used the kanji of "Sada" in their names such as Sadayuki and Sadasue. They were concurrent with the second generation Naotsuna. The preponderance of existing works today are by Yoshisue and Moriyoshi. These are smiths that worked in Nagahama, a major port of Sanyin.
14) Tanto, mei "Izuha Naotsuna Saku"
Nagasa: 28.79 cm
Sori: 0.6cm
Sugata: Hira-zukuri with a mitsu-mune. The blade is heavy although it has a thin kasane. It has a flat fukura and a strong saki-zori sugata.
Kitae: Itame mixed with masame. The well-forged tight hada contains bountiful ji-nie and shiraki utsuri is evident throughout the ji.
Hamon: Gonome midare with conspicuous nie in the tight habuchi.
Boshi: Midare-komi, jizo in style with a brushed tip.
Horimono: Bo-hi extending through nakago on both sides.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime and the signature is on the omote as noted above.
The second generation Naotsuna made this tanto around Eiwa (1375-1379 AD). It has a mixed style of both Bizen den and Mino den. Although it lacks mature and refined characteristics, it is a good tanto with overflowing rustic style.
15) Wakizashi, mei "Sekishu Nagahama ju Yoshisue"
Nagasa: 36.97cm
Sori: 0.6 cm.
Sugata: Hira-zukuri with a mitsu-mune. The mihaba is wide and the saki-zori sugata is strong.
Kitae: Hada-tatsu ko-itame mixed with masame.
Hamon: Suguba with hataraki such as hotsure, kuichigai and running sunagashi. There is abundant ko-nie in the habuchi.
Boshi: Togari.
Horimono: Dragon in a frame with double hi on the omote and a dragon ken with a bo-hi on the ura.
Nakago: Ubu with kattesagari yasurime and the signature is on the omote.
The horimono on this wakazashi is quite complicated and detailed. His workmanship is similar to the Yamato Den and the delicate horimono has lead nihonto scholars to believe that he may have had exchanges with the Nio group.
Summary
Limited by the number of pages, all the smiths from these areas could not be thoroughly reviewed. Only the major characteristics were mentioned. Therefore, this work should not be viewed as a comprehensive review. This final section is meant to reiterate all the important points.
The swords of Ura Japan are mostly perceived as country works or ?waki-mono?. In comparison to other centers of sword production there are not as many works in existence today from Ura Japan. In addition to the natural climate and environmental issues that limited the development in Ura Japan, there were several reasons for the small number of existing blades and the intermittent lack of high regard for their work.
Since ancient times, the Sanyin area was known to produce pure good quality sand iron. Therefore Sanyin?s development of iron manufacturing lead the whole nation and the appearance of the famous smith Hoki Yasutsuna was due to this excellent raw material. However, because of the limitations created by the harsh climate, the prosperity of Ko Hoki Kaji only lasted a short while.
In late Kamakura, there appeared Go Yoshihiro and Norishige. These two famous smiths represent the sword smiths of the Hokurikudo region. This area had very few famous smiths from the Heian and Kamakura periods. Indeed, these could be counted with 5 fingers. The Fujishima Kaji became the center Hoku arsenal in the Sengoku period. They mass-produced many practical swords. Compared to the rest of Muromachi period Japan, there were not as many famous Ura smiths. Therefore, the Ura Nihon Kaji has often been seen as lower quality work.
In Ura Nihon, the workmanship of the Hokurikudo smiths shows a strong Yamato influence. However, the Sanindo smiths exhibit Yamashiro style mixed with some Bizen traits. The characteristics of the ji-gane are the key study points. Hada-mono style ayasugi is the main characteristic of Hokurikudo. While a kitae of itame mixed with running masame is the conspicuous clue to Sanindo works. Hada-mono jigane is the common feature of both Hokurikudo and Sanindo. In other words, a coarse hada pattern that "stands up" is an important kantei clue to Ura Nihon. Overall, a soft yakiba and weapon-first kitae is the essence of the Ura Nihon kaji.
Functionality of Nihonto
Suishinshi Masahide is known as the founding father of the Shinshinto era. Early in his career, he aimed to recreate Sukehiro's beautiful toranba style hamon. Masahide devoted all his effort to mastering it. However, around the middle of his career, he changed his approach totally. The reason for the change is known from Masahide's published research. He observed that swords with a "Hade" (wide and gaudy) style hamon tend to break. Masahide wanted to abandon the artistic mentality that focused on the cosmetic beauty of the blade and return to the original function of Nihonto. His new approach was called "Fukko-to". The aim of it was to recapture the practical excellence of Kamakura period works. He wanted to make blades that cut well and were durable. In his book, Token Buyurai, the following statement is made.
"Needless to mention rather we are discussing the o-midare hamon of Tsuda (Sukehiro), Sakakura (Terukane), choji or kikusui, if a blade has a wide hamon pattern it tends to break when in use".
Masahide gained this knowledge empirically through repeated eye-witness accounts and reliable sources concerning swords in actual use. The following are 25 incidents that Masahide mentioned, in which blades with a "Hade" style hamon were broken. It is a direct translation.
1. Suishinshi was at the house of an Akimoto retainer. There was a thief that night. The retainer used the mune of a blade to strike the thief. The blade broke in the middle and the kissaki was knocked off. As a result, it landed on the rooftop of a neighbor?s house. This was a katana by Mizuta Kunishige with an o-midare ba hamon.
2. A younger friend of the Akimoto retainer used the mune of a wakizashi to hit a dog. The blade broke in the middle and the dog escaped. It was a mumei wakizashi by Etchigo no Kami Kanesada with an o-midare ba hamon.
3. In the Shitatani area, a retainer was fighting a merchant. The retainer's blade broke and his arm was cut. The retainer used a Shinto katana by Omi no Kami Tsuguhira with a wide hamon. The merchant used a Bizen Sukesada katana. Masahide witnessed this himself.
4. A Shitatani fencing teacher named Fujigawa was testing a blade by cutting a kabuto. The katana broke about 24 cm from the kissaki. It was a Satsuma blade. 5. In the Shiba area, a martial artist named Akamatsu tested a katana on a kabuto and the sword broke. This was a blade by Ishido Korekazu.
6. In Inaba, a retainer was arguing with a Shinto priest, a katana was involved and broken. It was a Inaba Shinto sword.
7. Satsuma area smiths tested their katana on thin metal plates and the blades were broken.
8. Kobayashi Masaoki, a student of Suishinshi, made a katana with big hamon pattern for a retainer of Etchigo. The blade broke when hitting stone statures in the garden on the mune side. It shattered like an icicle.
9. An Awa retainer was testing blades by the order of the lord of the Hachisuga family. He tested blades made by Shinkai, Etchigo Kanesada, Osafune Sukesada, and Suishinshi Masahide. During the mune testing, the blades that had big hamon patterns were all broken. The ones with small hamon pattern developed ha-giri (On the battlefield, this id highly preferable to breaking in half). However, some of these were broken too.
10. A family in Shinano had collected more than 150 pieces of broken katana, yari, and naginata of from battlefields in the koto period.
11. An Okayama retainer named Watanabe was doing a cutting test on the lower part of a corpse. The katana broke at the monouchi area. It was a Seki blade.
12. A bandit attacked the leader of Okayama retainers. The leader used the mune side of a katana to fight the bandit but it broke. He then picked up a bamboo stick and continued to fight. Eventually, he was able to defeat the attacker and used a rope to tie him up. When the retainer checked the bandit he found wounds caused by the bamboo stick but none by the katana. He couldn't help but to laugh at the situation.
13. An Okayama retainer got into an argument with a person on a ferry. He drew his katana and made a cut. The blade caught the wooden pole of the boat and broke at the monouchi.
14. A Bushi from Mito was doing a cutting test on a skull. The katana broke. A Mito swordsman was fighting with a Bushi. His katana broke about 27cm from the kissaki. It was a Hizen mono with hiro (wide) suguha. Suishinshi Masahide documented the above examples.
Takehiro Yasuhide, an Oshu retainer and a student of Suishinshi Masahide recorded the following examples. He worked with Suishinshi on developing the theory of Nihonto Functionality and the publishing of Masahide's research.
15. Five newly made Yari by Edo smiths were broken during a wild hog hunt.
16. During a fight in Gunma, one combatant used a Mizuta Kunishige katana and his opponent used a well-made naginata by Satsuma Mondonosho Masakiyo, as a result, both were broken.
17. In the Fujioka area, a Mito family ken was tested with a katana and the katana broke. It was a Tsuda Sukehiro.
18. A Bushi named Nagai used the mune of his katana to hit the shikii of a house entrance. The blade broke into three pieces. It was a katana with big hamon pattern by Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke.
19. An Etchigo Takeda retainer hit his katana on a stone lantern in the garden of a Shinto shrine. The kissaki broke off.
20. A Bushi Saito in Oshu was in a fight. His katana hit the door pillar and broke into three pieces.
21. A Higo retainer practiced fencing with his son who used a ken. The retainer's katana broke. It was an Ishido Korekazu.
22. A Higo retainer used the backside of the kissaki to hit the hand of one of his servants. The monouchi part of the katana broke off. It was a Mizuta Kunishige.
23. A Higo retainer fell from a horse and his blade broke in two. It was by Setsu no Kami Tadayuki.
24. An Oshu retainer was paying respect in a temple and for some reason his blade bumped the Ishidon (stone/rock steps) and the blade broke in two. This sword was from the Nao Yamashiro no Kami family. It was a koto Bizen with choji midare hamon. The retainer had the remaining part of the blade made into a wakizashi about 40cm long.
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It is interesting to note that among these 25 accounts there is a disproportionate number of broken shinto blades from Osaka and Mizuta followed by Ishido and Satsuma. The text does not mention the exact ji-ha of these blades and the extent to which they were typical for the given school/smith. However, perhaps it is important to understand that blades do break and we can take steps toward judging functional excellence from Masahide's research.
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It is true that there are many Saijo Wazamono smiths that made a hade style hamon. Kiyomaru, Kotetsu, Tatara Nagayuki etc..... Koyama Munetsugu should be mentioned as a maker of a very functional choji hamon in Shin-shinto times. (A nioi deki hamon is not as brittle as nie deki) Also, with koto there are a great many famous cutters with a wide hamon. The core steel of the blade has much to do with its ductile properties, thus its durability. A very skilled smith could overcome the brittle nature of a widely tempered nie deki blade by introducing other durability promoting elements into the construction of the blade. Masahide's observations are hard to put into context but none the less, they are enlightening.
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Another thought is that some of the above examples may lead the occidental to uneasy preponderance. Especially the striking of stone with a blade or the use of the mune offensively. This is not something we hear much about in Western texts. Perhaps cultural differences are at work here? Lore of blades cutting unsurpassable objects is not uncommon in the east. This leads me to believe that it is not at all unthinkable that some Samurai, especially one of lower rank without formal education, may attempt to cut stone to display the quality of his sword. As for the use of the mune side of the blade in combat, this was a common tactic that was very effective in delivering a non lethal blow. Much like a "warning shot" in our frontier days or simply a mild punitive action. In many documented sword tests the mune as well as the sides of the blade were given specific and deliberate attention to make certain it could withstand the abuse of being used this way. Thus the sword is to be a complete weapon able to used in a variety of ways depending on the situation at hand.
